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“The Best Team Day Ever”

We were so pleased to have such positive feedback from our first two corporate team days in July. Both companies were so impressed that they are already both discussing dates for their next day with us.... you can’t beat that for good feedback!

The agenda for each day was tailored to meet the needs of each team, both started with a welcome coffee and Fermented Cherry Brownies. When everyone had arrived Colin gave an overview of the day including the basic principles of foraging, local habitat and expected species that we may encounter.

Once everyone was ready they grabbed their sun hats, baskets and gloves and headed off to explore the local hedgerows. Within 100 yards of our door there are dozens of edible species. We meandered happily along the lanes and through the fields finding: Pineapple weed, dandelion, nettle, fat hen, vetch, hogweed, sheep sorrel, chicory, cleavers, nettles, navelwort, herb Robert, wild strawberries, elderflower and spruce tips among others.

At the end of our 1.5 hour foraging walk we rather conveniently reached one of the most beautiful pubs in the UK, The Drewe Arms, in the chocolate box-perfect village of Drewsteignton, Devon. In keeping with the rural Devonshire theme, we had arranged for one of the local farmers to transport our cheery travellers back to the cookery school on a tractor and trailer!

On their return, Tasha was there to greet them with a smile and freshly brewed drinks. Whilst the team set to work identifying all their finds to test their memories, Colin and Tasha laid out a beautiful feast and the room went quiet:

Menu

Beetroot, chilli and seaweed cured salmon, apple gel and apple

Roast chicken thighs with wild garlic pesto

Selection of charcuterie from the award winning Duchy Charcuterie

Tenderstem broccoli, hogweed seed and potato frittata

Heritage tomato salad

Lentil and bulgur wheat pilaff with foraged herbs

Yoghurt dressed potato salad with chives, fennel and cep powder

Peach, mint and feta salad with wild flowers

Mixed green leaves, wild and tame

Asian slaw

Japanese knotweed and lemon posset

All the dishes contained an element of wild ingredients with the Japanese Knotweed Lemon Posset being proclaimed the “best desert I’ve ever eaten” by one of the guests. It is certainly one of our favourites.

The afternoons varied slightly and were tailored to the requirements of each team. The Steelite Ltd team decided to learn a bit about the process of Fermentation. The Tugo team had a fantastically fun “Omelette Challenge”, which they took very seriously! We had a wonderful array of wild omelettes to judge, all using ingredients that they could find on our doorstep!

We had fun, the teams had fun and we all went home full and enthused.

We can accommodate teams from 6 to up to about 20 people, possibly larger groups depending on the plan of the day. All days will be tailored to the requirements of the customer. Just drop us a line and we can chat through possibilities before providing a quote.

Bespoke days are not limited to corporate functions, they can be for the those preferring a calmer hen or stag do, reunions of old friends/family or birthday party with a difference.